Does anyone REALLY believe Disney will allow the MOST popular, MOST recognizable Star Wars character NOT be a part of Episode VII?
Now, please put aside any logical reasons involving Episode VI or the EU, and let us focus on the hard, cold truth: Disney is interested in yielding maximum $$$$$.
Perhaps the White Knight thread is on the money, or maybe you know who will time travel to Episode VII ( it's not that crazy! Did you see the Star Trek reboot? And now we have that Abrams guy on board!)
As far as I'm concerned, Disney is looking to make the most profitable Star Wars movie ever.
Darth Vader will be in Episode VII. Mark my words.
It's business.
Disney will not let their biggest money maker sit on the sidelines just because he died in Episode VI.
Those of you invoking reasons why that simply couldn't happen based on events that occurred in Episode VI (or anywhere else in the Star Wars universe) are barking up the wrong tree; I assure you, right now there are suits making sure this and that toy sell x million units when Episode VII comes out...it's just the nature of the beast.
Only Uncle Ben stays dead.....

I really can't tell if you are just being a troll...but with the amount of talent they have working on Episode VII there is no way Darth Vader would be in the movie...the only possibility would be if there was a flash back or some crazy return to the cave on degobaugh (sorry spelling) type thing??....I think the current film team would rather create something new.

The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones did well in the box office without Darth Vader. In fact, TPM is the highest grossing of the SW films, ROTS comes in second (where Vader was on screen for all of a minute.)

Plenty of money will be made without the appearance of Darth Vader. SW is larger than Darth Vader. Disney knows this, Lucasfilm certainly knows this, and trying to work around facts and basic logic to include him will destroy large chunks of credibility.

Honestly, its a fair question if you are removing the obvious "becasue he died in Jedi". If the entire series has been about Darth Vader, how do you continue without Darth Vader? Or further yet, why would you continue without Darth Vader?

I will say that out of all the things that have been said since the anouncement of the ST, bringing back Vader is the one thing that makes the most sense if you are looking at it as the OP described. Therefore, I do believe that it is a possibility. I won't say that I am convinced it will happen, but I will certainly say I wouldn't be shocked.

So the question becomes how? And if it is to happen, how they do it will obviously be key to the success of the ST.

OT Vader is/was looked at at the baddest movie villian of all time. Many (not me) feel that the PT diminished Vader's bad-assery. If you bring him back, one of two things happens:

1. You further the opinion that Vader is no longer the best villian in all of the galaxy, especially if you bring him back as "The White Knight". I think this would serve a serious blow to the success of the ST.

2. You prove all neighsayers wrong with the most awesomely bad Vader ever. Done right, this could be HUGE.

Although its not literally true, in the same way as saying you can't have a Spider-Man movie without Spider-Man, but it's not that crazy to say you can't have a Star Wars movie without Darth Vader. I get it.

"The White Knight" thing is not gonna happen if you ask me.

So how to you bring back Vader? I don't know exactly, but I would think it may have something to do with separating Dr. Jekyll from Mr Hyde and being left with somebody who is only Darth Vader and not Anakin Skywalker. A Darth Vader who has no good left in him. Pure evil.

Coming back to whether this will really happen, remember that Lucas provided the treatment for these stories, so if it does happen, it won't really be because the higher ups as Disney demand the character for merchadising revenue. Darth Vader figures will always be made and will always sell, regardless of Ep VII. Lucas has talked about Star Wars trilogies following the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This could mean PT=The Father OT=The Son ST=The Holy Ghost. If thats the case, the ST could mean Anakin and/or Luke helping from the other side as a Force Ghosts, even if that means helping against the evil side of himself/his father in Vader.

The expectation of Vader, or what would become Vader was essential to the prequel trilogy. Heck, even when Episode I came out, there was a poster of a shadow of Darth Vader seemingly cast by young Anakin.

I don't think you can really have Star Wars without Vader being present in some capacity. I don't think he'll be back in the flesh, but:

And his breathing being very symbolically used in the same film.

There's also the fact that Vader's legacy literally is the plot material for the sequels; there would have been no Rebel victory at Endor without Vader deciding to turn on the Emperor. He is dead, but in death he is a colossus astride the galaxy; he's the reason the heroes won. It would surprise me if there's no referencing him in the sequels.

The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones did well in the box office without Darth Vader. In fact, TPM is the highest grossing of the SW films, ROTS comes in second (where Vader was on screen for all of a minute.)

First off, TPM was marketed as the beginning of the origin of Darth Vader. I don't know if you recall but marketing on ROTS focused heavily on Vader...from the toy packaging to the promo shots that were released of Vader with light saber that were not based on anything in ROTS, but on the necessity to generate as much $$$$$$$$$$$$$ as possible.

The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones did well in the box office without Darth Vader. In fact, TPM is the highest grossing of the SW films, ROTS comes in second (where Vader was on screen for all of a minute.)

Right, but in the context of the thread, those films were about the origins of Vader.

I really can't tell if you are just being a troll...but with the amount of talent they have working on Episode VII there is no way Darth Vader would be in the movie...the only possibility would be if there was a flash back or some crazy return to the cave on degobaugh (sorry spelling) type thing??....I think the current film team would rather create something new.

Here are two scenarios as to how Vader returns :
1) Luke Skywalker wears the Darth Vader armor. He does not need to turn to the dark side to do so. Something forces him to wear the armor and we can end up with good-guy Darth Vader who can sell a lot of toys.
2) A new menace arrives on the scene in Episode VII that cannot be overcome by Luke and any potential new Jedi; they are forced to get Darth Vader to time travel to defeat the menace...and we have JJ Abrams on board so time travel by huge characters is not so far fetched.

Now, please put aside any logical reasons involving Episode VI or the EU, and let us focus on the hard, cold truth: Disney is interested in yielding maximum $$$$$.

LOL.

If Disney wants to lose all credibility and respect, it will do exactly as you suggested, and put aside any logic or reason, including...um, hello, Homeboy died.

That's not to say it won't happen. Exhibit A: Darth Maul.

However, my response would be, I sure as hell hope not.

That has been discussed in a few threads around here. But it is quite notable that Maul did NOT come back in anything that requires a FULL family audience for success (or anything requiring hundreds of million dollars to recoup the production cost), that is a cartoon aimed at kids. Maul was cut in half, they would not be foolish enough to actually bring him back in a movie. Guys like Arndt and Abrams are serious players in the game, they are not going to take part in some ridiculous movie where things like that happen.
Similarly, the masked Darth Vader will never be back. Anakin as a force ghost? I say 25-35% likelihood.